purge
UK /pɜːd͡ʒ/ · US /pɜɹd͡ʒ/ verb, noun
Forms purges purging purged
- verb (transitive) To clean thoroughly; to rid of impurities; to cleanse; to clear of (something unwanted). “After the process, the machine purges the chamber before venting it to remove toxic gases.”
- verb (transitive) To remove by cleansing; to wash away.
- verb (transitive) To free from sin, guilt, or burden.
- verb (transitive, intransitive, medicine) To evacuate (the bowels or the stomach); to defecate or vomit.
- verb (transitive, medicine) To cause someone to purge; to operate (on somebody) using a cathartic or emetic, or in a similar manner.
- verb (transitive) To forcibly remove, for example, from political activity. “Deng Xiaoping was purged twice during the Cultural Revolution, but managed to return to power after Mao's death.”
- verb (transitive) To forcibly remove people by an organization. “Cromwell had Colonel Pride purge Parliament of royalists who opposed Charles I's execution.”
- verb (transitive, law) To clear of a charge, suspicion, or imputation.
- noun An act or instance of purging.
- noun (medicine) An evacuation of the bowels or the stomach; a defecation or vomiting.
- noun Something which or someone who purges; especially, a medicine that evacuates the intestines; a cathartic.
- noun A forcible removal of people, for example, from political activity. “Stalin liked to ensure that his purges were irreversible.”
- noun An act or instance of the cleansing of pipes.
- noun A red or reddish liquid that seeps out from raw muscular meat consisting mostly of water and protein; "meat juice".
- noun The temporarily worsening of acne due to the introduction of skincare products that increase cell turnover, bringing underlying blemishes to the surface more quickly.
- noun (slang) A period of time in which normal rules supposedly do not apply; especially, a time for violence and gang war.
Synonyms
weep purging purgation purify sanctify flush scour vomit vomit up cast sick cat be sick disgorge regorge retch puke barf spew spue chuck upchuck honk regurgitate throw up
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English purgen, from Old French purgier, from Latin pūrgō (“to make pure, to cleanse”), from pūrus (“clean, pure”) + agō (“to make, to do”).
The slang sense derived via the 2013 film The Purge.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To cleanse, clear, or purify by separating and carrying off whatever is impure, heterogeneous, foreign, or superfluous. "Till fire purge all things new." Milton.
- verb To operate on as, or by means of, a cathartic medicine, or in a similar manner.
- verb To become pure, as by clarification.
- verb To have or produce frequent evacuations from the intestines, as by means of a cathartic.
Etymology [F. purger, L. purgare; purus pure + agere to make, to do. See Pure, and Agent.]
Etymology [Cf. F. purge. See Purge, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “purge”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details